Support



Aug. 4, 1964 J. A. RODDER 3,143,087

` SUPPORT Filed NOV. 23, 1962 www United States Patent O 3,143,087 SUPPORT Jerome A. Redder, 775 Sunshine Drive, Los Altos, Calif. Filed Nov. 23, 1962, Ser. No. 239,605 6 Claims. (Cl. 10S- 116) This invention relates to apparatus for supporting equipment from an upright post, such as a conventional ring stand used in chemical laboratories.

It is common practice to support a thermally insulated container, such as a Dewar flask, around elongated, vertical cold traps by setting the vessels or asks on a horizontal ring secured by a clamp to the vertical post of a conventional ring stand ordinarily mounted on a laboratory table top. From time to time, it is necessary to remove or replace the container around the cold trap. With the conventional support ring, the clamp must be loosened, and slipped down far enough to permit the container to be removed from the lower end of the cold trap. To replace the container, it is slipped up over the lower end of the cold trap, and thereafter the clamp and ring are manipulated manually as near as possible to the desired position. Most of the clamps have a lot of play, and it is often diflicult to get the container relocated exactly at the required height. Sometimes, due to the play in the clamp, the ring is forced upwardly as the clamp is tightened after the container has been placed in the desired position. The upward movement of the ring occasionally breaks the vacuum flask, thereby causing an unnecessary hazard and expense in the laborataory.

This invention provides apparatus for supporting equipment such as a Dewar iiask from an upright post in such a way that the flask can easily and quickly be removed from and replaced around the lower end of a cold trap without having to adjust the position of a clamp on the post. With the apparatus of this invention, the ask is easily and safely removed from the cold trap, and just as easily and safely replaced to the desired position.

Briefly, the apparatus includes a bar with means for clamping the bar to the upright post. A platform is secured adjacent the bar to pivot with respect to the bar. Locking means are provided for securing the platform to the bar in a substantially horizontal position when the bar is clamped to the post. The platform in the horizontal position serves as a support for an open top container, such as a Dewar vacuum flask. Means are provided for releasing the locking means to permit the platform to pivot downwardly with respect to the bar from a substantially horizontal position. This leaves the area clear under the flask so it can be lowered from its previous position without having to adjust the bar with respect to the post. When it is desired to return the ask to the original position, it is held in the desired location adjacent the bar, and thereafter the platform is pivoted upwardly so that the locking means engages and secures the platform in a horizontal position under the flask.

Preferably, the clamping means is adjustable so the bar and platform can be moved toward and away from the post. The preferred form of the apparatus also includes a stop to limit the upward pivoting of the platform with respect to the bar. The stop facilitates automatic engagement of the locking means when the platform is pivoted to the horizontal position, and prevents accidentally striking the flask with the platform.

Preferably, the pivot means includes a shaft rigidly attached to the bar and extending through an opening in one side of the plate. The platform is rotatable and longitudinally movable on the shaft, and is urged toward the bar by a commpression spring. A dowel extends from the portion of the platform adjacent the bar toward a bore in the bar so that the bore and dowel cooperate 3,143,087A Patented Aug. 4., 1964 ICC to form a locking means when the platform is in the horizontal position. The spring urges the dowel into the bar bore. To release the platform, it is pulled away from the bar so that it slides along the shaft and compresses the spring. This movement is continued until the dowel clears the bore in the bar and the platform drops to a substantially vertical position. Once the platform is released, the compression spring urges the platform back toward the bar. Preferably, the loweredge of the bar and the upper surface of the dowel are beveled so that when the platform is pivoted back toward the horizontal position, the beveled surfaces engage and automatically slide the platform against the compression spring to permit the dowel to slide along the bar toward the .bar bore. When the dowel reaches the bore, the compression spring forces it into the bore and locks the platform into a horizontal position. A horizontal stop pin mounted on the bar to overlie the platform when in the horizontal position prevents the dowel from inadvertently sliding past the bore as the platform is moved to the horizontal position.

These and other aspects of the invention will be more fully understood from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view, partly broken away, of the presently preferred embodiment of the support apparatus;

FIG. 2 is an elevation taken on line 2 2 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a View taken on line 3 3 of FIG. 2.

Referring to the drawings, the apparatus includes a flat rectangular plate or platform 1i) having one edge 11 disposed adjacent an elongated horizontal bar 12. A horizontal rod 13 is rigidly secured to the center portion o-f the bar on the side opposite from the platform, and is perpendicular to the bar. The other end of the rod is held by a rst set screw 14 in a clamp 15, which in turn is secured by a second set screw 16 to an upright post 17 of a conventional ring stand such as the type commonly used in chemistry laboratories.

The right (as view in FIG. 1) edge of the platform includes an elongated notch 18 so that a short ear 19 is formed adjacent the right end of the bar and a longer ear or grip 2i) is formed in the opposite end of the notched edge. A horizontal pivot shaft 21 is rigidly press-fitted into a recess 22 in the right end of the bar and extends through collinear bores 23, 24 in the short and long ears, respectively, of the platform. A compression spring 26 is coaxially disposed around the pivot shaft between a collar 27 mounted on the intermediate portion of the shaft and a washer 28 disposed around the shaft against the inner face of the first ear 19. The collar is adjustable longitudinally along the shaft and is held in place by a set screw 29 so that the spring is placed in compression and urges the platform toward the bar.

As shown best in FIGS. 1 and 3, a horizontal dowel 30 is press-fitted in a bore 31 in the left (as viewed in FIG. 1) end of the side of the platform adjacent the bar. The dowel extends into a horizontal bore 32 in the bar and locks the platform against pivoting about the shaft. The upper surface of the end of the dowel which iits into the bar bore is beveled at 33 downwardly and away from the platform. The lower edge of the bar adjacent the platform has a beveled section 34 which slants downwardly away from the platform so that when the platform is moved upwardly (clockwise, as viewed in FIG. 2) about the pivot shaft, the beveled surface of the dowel engages the beveled surface of the bar and forces the platform to slide along the pivot shaft away from the bar and compress the spring around the shaft. When the platform reaches the horizontal position shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the spring forces the platform toward the bar and engages the dowel in the bar bore as shown in FIGS.

susana? `l and 2. A horizontal stop pin 35 press-fitted into the face of the bar adjacent the platform overlies the platform when it is in the horizontal position shown in the drawing. The stop pin prevents the platform from swinging past the horizontal position.

In using the apparatus shown in the drawing, the rod is secured by the clamp to the desired position with respect to the upright post, usually under an elongated vertical cold trap 36 (shown only fragmentarily in phantom line in FIG. 2). The grip or longer ear 20 on the platform is pulled away from the bar, say, by placing the right thumb on the outward end of the pivot shaft and hooking the right index finger over the grip. Then, by pulling the grip toward the thumb with the index finger, the platform is smoothly moved longitudinally outwardly along the shaft to compress the spring. As soon as the dowel clears the bar bore, the platform swings down to a vertical position and hangs under the shaft in the dotted line position shown in FIG. 2. A Dewar flask or any other equipment 37 (shown only fragmentarily in phantom line in FIG. 2) is placed up around the cold trap just above the final position in which the container is to be supported. The platform is then swung by hand up to the horizontal position shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. The beveled surfaces on the dowel and lower edge of the bar insure automatic locking of the platform in the horizontal position shown in the drawing. Thus, the platform is quickly and accurately supported in the desired location. To remove or replace the flask, it is simply held in one hand, and the platform is moved away from the bar with the other hand until the dowel clears the bar bore, permitting the platform to drop to the dotted line vertical position shown in FIG. 2. The flask can then be easily lowered from its position around the cold trap. Thus, the support apparatus of this invention permits a container disposed around the lower end of a cold trap or other apparatus to be quickly removed or replaced accurately and rapidly as many times as is necessary without requiring the trial and error manual manipulation of ring clamps.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for supporting equipment, the apparatus comprising an upright post, a bar, means for clamping the bar to the post, a platform disposed adjacent the bar, pivot means securing the platform to the bar, a dowel secured to the platform and extending toward the bar, the bar having a recess in it to receive the dowel and lock the platform to the bar in a substantially horizontal position when the bar is clamped to the post, and means for sliding the platform away from the bar to withdraw the dowel from the recess in the bar and release the platform to permit it to pivot downwardly with respect to the bar from the substantially horizontal position.

2. Apparatus for supporting equipment, the apparatus comprising an upright post, a bar, means for clamping the bar to the post, a platform disposed adjacent the bar, pivot means securing the platform to the bar, a dowel secured to the platform and extending toward the bar, the bar having a recess in it to receive the dowel and lock the platform to the bar in a substantially horizontal position when the bar is clamped to the post, and means for sliding the platform away from the bar to withdraw the dowel from the recess in the bar and release the platform to permit it to pivot downwardly with respect to the bar from the substantially horizontal position, the end of the dowel being beveled upwardly and away from the bar, when the plate is in the horizontal position.

3. Apparatus for supporting equipment, the apparatus comprising an upright post, a bar, means for clamping the bar to the post, a platform disposed adjacent the bar, pivot means securing the platform to the bar, a dowel secured to the platform and extending toward the bar, the bar having a recess in it to receive the dowel and lock the platform to the bar in a substantially horizontal position when the bar is clamped to the post, and means for sliding the platform away from the bar to withdraw the dowel from the recess in the bar and release the platform to permit it to pivot downwardly with respect to the bar from the substantially horizontal position, the end of the dowel being beveled upwardly and away from the bar, when the plate is in the horizontal position, and the portion of the bar under the recess being beveled upwardly toward the platform to provide a deflecting surface for the dowel as the platform is moved upwardly toward a horizontal position.

4. Apparatus for supporting equipment, the apparatus comprising an upright post, a bar, means for clamping the bar to the post, a platform disposed adjacent the bar, pivot means securing the platform to the bar, a dowel secured to the platform and extending toward the bar, the bar having a recess in it to receive the dowel and lock the platform to the bar in a substantially horizontal position when the bar is clamped to the post, and means for sliding the platform away from the bar to withdraw the dowel from the recess in the bar and release the platform to permit it to pivot downwardly with respect to the bar from the substantially horizontal position, the portion of the bar under the recess being beveled upwardly and toward the platform to provide a detiecting surface for the dowel as the platform is moved upwardly toward a horizontal position.

5. Apparatus for supporting equipment, the apparatus comprising an upright post, a horizontal bar, a rod secured at one end to the bar and extending away from the bar, means for clamping the rod to the post, a horizontal pivot shaft secured to the bar and extending away from it, a platform disposed adjacent the bar and secured to the shaft to be pivotal with respect to the bar and slidable longitudinally along the shaft, locking means for securing the platform to the bar in a substantially horizontal position when the rod is clamped to the post, and means for releasing the locking means to permit the platform to pivot downwardly with respect to the bar from the substantially horizontal position.

6. Apparatus for supporting equipment, the apparatus comprising an upright post, a horizontal bar, a rod secured at one end to the bar and extending away from the bar, means for clamping the rod to the post, a horizontal pivot shaft secured to the bar and extending away from it, a platform disposed adjacent the bar and secured to the shaft to be pivotal with respect to the bar and slidable longitudinally along the shaft, means forming a recess in they bar, a dowel on the platform extending collineraly toward the recess when the platform is substantially horizontal, and spring means urging the dowel into the recess to lock the platform in a substantially horizontal position when the bar is clamped to the post.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,019,957 Hadley Mar. l2, 1912 '1,890,289 Harrison Dec. 6, 1932 2,255,630 Sass Sept. 9, 1941 

1. APPARATUS FOR SUPPORTING EQUIPMENT, THE APPARATUS COMPRISING AN UPRIGHT POST, A BAR, MEANS FOR CLAMPING THE BAR TO THE POST, A PLATFORM DISPOSED ADJACENT THE BAR, PIVOT MEANS SECURING THE PLATFORM TO THE BAR, A DOWEL SECURED TO THE PLATFORM AND EXTENDING TOWARD THE BAR, THE BAR HAVING A RECESS IN IT TO RECEIVE THE DOWEL AND LOCK THE PLATFORM TO THE BAR IN A SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL POSITION WHEN THE BAR IS CLAMPED TO THE POST, AND MEANS FOR SLIDING THE PLATFORM AWAY FROM THE BAR TO WITHDRAW THE DOWEL FROM THE RECESS IN THE BAR AND RELEASE THE PLATFORM TO PERMIT IT TO PIVOT DOWNWARDLY WITH RESPECT TO THE BAR FROM THE SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL POSITION. 